


Build Me Up

by theflyinganonymouse



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-07 02:21:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/743049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyinganonymouse/pseuds/theflyinganonymouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall gets set up on a blind date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Build Me Up

 ”You look good.” Liam told him.

 “Yeah?”

 “Yeah.”

 Niall adjusted the collar of his polo shirt before smoothing the material down on his slim body, “it feels a bit tight.”

 “It’s meant to be like that.” Liam told him with a small laugh. “Seriously, though, you look hot. I would.”

 “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” Niall threw a grin in his friend’s general direction. “Because, to be honest with you, you’re not my type and I really don’t want to have to make this awkward for the both of us when I turn you down.”

 “Oh, shut up, you dick. Now are you ready to go? We’re going to be late.”

 “Alright, alright, don’t get your knickers in a twist.” Niall grumbled, good-naturedly. “I swear you’re more excited about this than I am.”

 “Maybe. Now, come on, move!”

 -

 Harry couldn’t believe he’d let Louis talk him into this.

 A date.

 A blind date.

 It was quite funny, really, in a sick kind of way.

 A blind date for a blind person.

 Sick or poetic.

 Harry hadn’t quite made him mind up yet.

 And it really wasn’t fair, he should have never agreed to this.

But Louis had nagged and pleaded and worn him down until Harry had snapped and agreed in a moment of madness.

 He regretted it now.

 Because he’d been quite happy wallowing in his own misery since his accident a few months ago, thank you very much, and he didn’t need anyone else’s input into his social life.

 Or lack thereof.

 So what if he had spent more time moping around in his room than spending time with his friends?

 It wasn’t like any of them cared, anyway.

 None of them had even attempted to keep in contact with him since he had left the hospital.

 Some friends they were.

And maybe it was his own fault, maybe he had pushed them away, but it still hurt that none of them had  _tried_.

 Apart from Louis.

 Louis was the only one who would put up with tantrums and terrible moods and had stuck with him no matter what and he was thankful.

 But Louis was also the reason he was here, sat in the middle of a crowded restaurant, his skin crawling as he imagined all the eyes staring at him, waiting for his date to turn up, and in that moment he hated his best friend, too.

 Because Harry knew nothing about his date.

 Nothing.

 Not even where Louis knew him from.

 His name.

 Or if the other boy even knew about Harry’s lack of sight.

 He doubted it.

 Louis often forgot to mention the important things like that.

 Speaking of, he felt a nudge in the ribs and Louis whispered, gleefully, in Harry’s ear, “he’s here!” 

 “Great.” Harry replied, dryly.

 “Aren’t you even going to ask what he looks like?” Louis asked.

 Harry sighed and droned, “what does he look like?”

 “Fit!” Louis gushed. “Big blue eyes and blonde hair, really skinny, too. You’ll like him.”

 “Good to know.”

 “At least try to sound excited.” Louis said before raising his voice into a shout, “Liam! Over here!” 

 “Are you trying to deafen me?” Harry asked with a wince.

 “Oh, shush, you.” Louis teased. “They’re coming over.”

 “They?”

 He felt Louis move away from his side and heard him greet the other people but Harry didn’t bother lifting his head.

 He didn’t see the point.

 It wasn’t like he could see anything anyway.

 And, if he was being honest with himself, he was feeling nervous now.

 There were so many things that could go wrong.

 What if he knocked his drink over?

 Or spilt food down himself and not even notice?

And, and, would he have to explain himself?

 Explain he was blind, explain what had happened?

 Because he really wasn’t sure that he could.

 It still felt too soon even though it had been months.

 “Harry?” He heard Louis ask, tearing him from his thoughts.

 “Yeah?”

 “I’ll just be a couple of tables over with Liam and Zayn, shout or wave if you need anything, okay?” Louis told him.

 “Okay.” Harry nodded, morosely.

 “Jesus, you sound excited to be here.” A new voice said, sounding close.

 “I’m overjoyed.” Harry said before he could stop himself, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

 “Then we’re going to have a lot of fun then.” The voice said and Harry realised it belonged to his date.

 Shit.

-

 After they exchanged names they fell into an awkward silence which was only broken by the waitress coming to take their drink orders.

 Niall ordered a coke, the same as always, and his date did the same.

 And then there was more silence and Niall began to grow uneasy.

 He didn’t like the quiet.

 He tugged at his clothes and wondered if he was wearing the wrong thing.

 Maybe the colours didn’t match or his polo really was too tight and he cursed Liam.

 He’d been the one to pick out his outfit for him on their shopping trip yesterday.

 He was also the reason that Niall was sat here with Mr Enthusiastic, counting down the seconds until he could escape, as time dragged by in silence.

 He didn’t know much about Harry apart from he was the friend of a friend of Liam’s from uni but that was all Niall knew.

 No matter how much he had begged, Liam had refused to say anymore, telling him that he didn’t want to ruin any potential topics of conversation.

 Niall thought he was just being mean.

 “So…” Niall said, eventually, not being able to take the silence much longer. “Awkward much?”

 Harry didn’t say anything.

 “You don’t talk much, do you?”

 “Why don’t you just come out and ask?” Harry snapped at him and Niall wondered what he had done wrong.

 “Ask what?”

 “Are you taking the piss?”

 “No.” Niall answered, calmly, though his insides were twisting savagely in his gut. “Are you?”

 “What the-? You’ve got to have noticed.” Harry ground out. “You’d have to be blind-.”

 “I am.” Niall said when Harry cut himself off.

 “What?”

 “I’m blind.” Niall told him with a frown. “I thought the cane was a dead giveaway.”

 And then a thought struck him.

 “You’re blind, too, aren’t you?”

 Harry’s response came after a short silence, “yeah.”

 “Well, Liam kept that one quiet.”

 “He didn’t tell you?”

 “Didn’t your friend tell you about me?”

 “No.” Harry said, shortly. “The bastard.”

 Niall laughed and the waitress arrived with their drinks then and asked them for their orders.

 “Do you know what you want, Harry?” Niall asked, already knowing what he was going to order.

 He and Liam had gone through the menu on the internet that morning.

 “Yeah.” Harry said and they both told the woman what they wanted.

 Niall’s hands ghosted over his half of the table, feeling where everything was, before he lifted his glass and took a sip.

 “So, what do you do?” Niall asked.

 Harry snorted, “of all the things you could’ve asked, you choose that one?”

 “Why not?”

 “I’m fucking blind. I don’t  _do_  anything.”

 Niall heard the anger in Harry’s voice and came to the conclusion that being blind was new to Harry but he didn’t ask about it. He was obviously very sensitive about it.

 “I’m studying music at college.” Niall said, keeping his tone light. “I play the guitar and I sing a bit, too. It’s a laugh. Do you like music?”

 “Yeah.” Harry didn’t seem so angry anymore.

 “What kind?”

 Conversation was easier after that.

-

 Harry didn’t know why he agreed to a second date.

 Or a third.

 Or even a fourth and a fifth and a sixth after that.

 But he was glad because, after a difficult start, he found himself falling for the other teen.

 Because there was just something about Niall that made him happy.

 Happier than he had felt in a long time.

 Since the accident.

 Niall didn’t pity Harry or try to baby him or treat him any different from anyone else.

 He didn’t mind when Harry got frustrated or angry and just instead waited for the moment to pass and then planted kisses on every available piece of skin he could find.

 He understood that Harry had days where he felt so down that he couldn’t pull himself from bed. Niall would always crawl into bed with him and cuddle and kiss him until Harry felt better.

 He never pushed Harry to do anything like his parents did but just let Harry do things at his own pace, letting him make his own mistakes and then sticking around to help him pick up the pieces.

 He showed Harry how to use his cane properly and helped him set up his room so that it’d be easier for him to navigate without hurting himself.

 He taught Harry how to feel good about himself again and made him laugh and smile and built him back up so that Harry became the bright, friendly person he once was.

 And, maybe best of all, he had said yes when Harry had asked him to be his boyfriend.

-

 “Niall?”

 “Hmm?”

 They were laid in Harry’s bed, limbs entwined and hot breath tickling at the other’s face, on the edge of sleep.

 “How did you lose your sight?”

 Niall smiled and planted a quick kiss on Harry’s face, his cheek, he guessed, though he had been aiming for his lips.

 He had been waiting a long time to have this discussion with Harry.

 Because talking about being blind meant that Harry was coming to terms with what had happened.

 “I didn’t lose it.” Niall answered him. “I was born not being able to see.”

 “You’ve never-?”

 “Nope.”

 “Don’t you hate it?”

 “Why would I?”

 “You’ve never seen your parents faces, you don’t even know what I look like-.”

 “I know what you look like.”

 “Oh, yeah?”

 “Yeah.” Niall kissed him again, this time catching his lips with his own. “You’re beautiful.”

 “But you’ve never  _seen_  me.”    

 “And?”

 “How do you know?”

 “I’ve seen  _you_ , Harry. All of you.” Niall told him. “Not just the image that the rest of the word sees.”

 There was a short silence then as Harry thought over his words.

 “Niall?”

 “Yeah?”

 “I love you.”

 “Oh, yeah?”

 “Yeah.”

 “I suppose I love you, too.”

 “Prick.”

 “Wanker.”  


End file.
